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The Rise Of mHealth And EHR Use, And The World Of Telehealth – Around Healthcare Scene

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mHealth is on the rise, and it looks like usage of smart phones among physicians is following that same trend. A recent study shows that usage rose about nine percent in 2012, which shows that it is becoming more accepted in the medical world. It will be interesting to see if it increases even more this year (I have a feeling it might.)

Similar to the increase in doctors using smartphones, there has been a jump in EMR and HIE use as well. A survey from Accenture found that over 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR in either their practice or at a hospital, and over 50 percent are using an HIE. This increase was highest among doctors in the United States. Be sure to read more of the interesting facts this survey found about EMR and HIE use in the U.S., and around the world.

Even though 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR at one point or another, only about 55 percent have actually adopted an EHR into their practice. It can be nerve-racking trying to find the perfect EHR. If you are finding yourself at that crossroad, be sure to read these five tips from ADP AdvancedMD on how to have a successful EHR implementation.

Still, some of you may be hesitant to implement an EHR. You may ask, is it worth it? Does it takeaway from healthcare? There is debate from both sides, each with compelling arguments. John believes that technology is overall positive in any industry, and discusses his thoughts, and some of the challenges that faces the industry.

Telehealth and medicine is so huge, it can be hard to digest. Neil Versel recently attended the American Telemedicine Association’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, and saw just how huge this market was. Be sure to check out this video he created from his experience, and to perhaps get a better idea about the many types of telehealth. Similar to the increase in doctors using smartphones, there has been a jump in EMR and HIE use as well. A survey from Accenture found that over 90 percent of doctors are using an EMR in either their practice or at a hospital, and over 50 percent are using an HIE. This increase was highest among doctors in the United States. Be sure to read more of the interesting facts this survey found about EMR and HIE use in the U.S., and around the world.

With summer quickly approaching, it’s more important than ever to stay hydrated. But if you need a little reminder, be sure to look into the Jomi Band.  It gives you warnings when you might be on the brink of dehydration, and makes it easy to keep track of how much water you’ve consumed in a day’s time.

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May 12, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  EHR Benefits  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Selection  EMR Technology  Healthcare  Healthcare Communication  Healthcare Devices  HealthCare IT  Hospitals  Medical Privacy  Patients  Personal Musings
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EHRMagic, EHR Certification, and the Great EHR Switch — #HITsm Chat Highlights

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Topic One: What lessons can be learned from the ONC’s decision to revoke #EHR Incentive Program certification of EHRMagic? #HealthIT

Topic Two: Does this action make EHR certification more meaningful or does it reduce confidence in certified products?

Topic Three: Who suffers the most from the ONC’s decision? The vendor or the physicians who purchased the product?

#HITsm T4: ”2013 is the year of the great #EHR switch.” With data migration and implementation hassles, is this truly a possibility?

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May 4, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Analyst  HealthCare IT  HIE
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EHR Debates and The Growth of mHealth – Around Healthcare Scene

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With the dissatisfaction that many have felt from EMR, providers and patients alike, outside healthcare companies are coming up with new ideas on how to help. Healthpons, a healthcare version of Groupon, recently launched and aims to help people find affordable care, and allow providers to market themselves. Is this “cash for care” model a trickle down effect of EMR Dissatisfaction?

Among the debates related to EHRs, one of the biggest is about purging data. On one side, people believe that all data from a person’s life in order to give the best care possible. Another camp believes that keeping EHR data opens up the door for the institution being held liable. What do you think?

Hospitals are implementing EMRs left and right. However, who is it that pays for it? Some argue that it’s the consumer, others sometimes even say it’s the insurance companies. In the end, it’s the hospitals themselves.

How do you measure the quality of a doctor? In same ways, it’s impossible. Ideally, there would be a way to determine whether the quality of care a doctor provides is worth the cost they charge. However, there are risks involved in this, and really, it’s hard.  Don’t we all want the best doctor possible, for the lowest price? How can we keep doctor’s accountable for the care they provide?

If you have a hard time deciding the quality of a doctor, why not take matters into your own hands? Most people know that Google contains a plethora of health information, and that smartphones have a variety of health-related apps. The digital health market is growing at a fast rate and more technology is being released each day. What do you think the future holds for mHealth?

The past few weeks, some well-known names in health IT have lost dear family members. Remember these people in your thoughts.

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April 7, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Technology  Healthcare  HealthCare IT  Hospitals  Meaningful Use
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NetPulse, HIEs, and The Importance of Reliable EMRs — Around Healthcare Scene

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Have you ever wished that all your fitness and food trackers were in one place? Well, look no further. NetPulse is trying to do just that. The new platform is working with some of the hottest apps, as well as fitness equipment makers, to make taking control of your health easier and more convenient.

A group of researchers recently published an opinion in the Journal of the American Medical Association regarding cloud-based health records versus HIEs. The verdict? They feel that the cloud-based health records might be a better way of sharing health records. What they had to say was rather interesting, so don’t miss the recap of it over at EMR and EHR.

Still looking to use HIEs, rather than Cloud-based health records? The ONC has recently released a toolkit to help different healthcare professionals use them more efficiently. This toolkit includes several guides and a spreadsheet to help determine costs and savings that are associated with implementing an EHR.

For those that missed HIMSS, check out the video that John filmed of the Metro point of care solutions. It gives you a first person perspective of what you could have seen demoed at HIMSS if you were able to attend. Plus, it’s pretty cool to see the point of care and BCMA technologies in action.

It’s important for an EMR to be usable. However, this isn’t always the case, and it can be extremely frustrating. Dr. Shirie Leng, an anesthesiologist, is someone who feels that way. In a recent piece over at KevinMD.com, Dr. Leng discusses her EMR usability wish list. Be sure to check it out, and see if you agree. What is your usability wish list?

And, how smart is your current EMR? According to John, it might just be stupid. While they may have value, most EHR software is just full of dumb data repositories. Despite the negativity of this perspective, the future of EHRs does have hope. With the help of entrepreneurs innovators, current EHRs will be turned smart.

Finally, in order for EMRs to make the changes needed, to improve usability and become more “smart,” the vendors need to get it together.  KLAS recently put several popular EMRs head-to-head, reviewing their usability and efficiency. Although names weren’t listed, they found that some EMRs were very difficult to learn, and it’s not necessarily the physician who is using its fault. Perhaps it’s time that physicians and hospitals demand higher quality products.

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March 24, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  EHR Benefits  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  Healthcare  HealthCare IT  HIE  Hospital EHR  Hospitals
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Around Healthcare Scene: EMRs and Health Technology Talk

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EMRs are supposed to increase efficiency and patient care. However, because of the amount of data they contain, sometimes the opposite happens. Anne Zieger discusses a recent report in Modern Healthcare, which talks about how nearly 30 percent of PCPs claim that they missed notifications of test results, leading to a delay in care, thanks to the over-abundance of information the EMR collects.

Would the use of mHealth technology such as tablets and smart phones cause harm like this as well? We’re sure to find out soon with mobile technology advancing among providers. Research shows that some providers are “gradually shifting their use of smart mobile devices from business functions like e-mail and scheduling to a much wider range of activities. Be sure to read some of Anne’s thoughts on the matter, and find out if this growth will continue at this pace.

And speaking of tablets, around 4,000 home care staff will be receiving a brand new Android tablet. Bayada, a national home care agency has recently sent out Samsung Galaxy Tabs to therapists, medical social workers and other home health professionals. Considering the fact that iPads are often the tablet of choice, this was an interesting move. The workers can document information while at a patient’s home, as well pull up data before going to the house. Will more healthcare providers be taking on the Android tablets, because of their lower cost? Chime in over at Hospital EMR and EHR.

There’s always some kind of new app being created to help people keep track of their health. Now, people can use uChek, an at-home urinanalysis, to keep their health in check. The mobile app, along with the uChek kits, allow people to test their urine for a variety of different markers. While it shouldn’t be used to replace a necessary visit to the doctor’s office, it could help prevent certain issues from getting worse by catching them early on.

With all this talk of technology in the healthcare world, one might wonder how it affects patient engagement. We recently switched pediatricians for my house, and while the last office was very tech savvy, this new office doesn’t have a computer in the offices, they give out paper prescriptions, and they have paper files. And to be honest, I love this office way more because of how personal the visit was, with no technology to distract the doctor. At our old office, the doctor stood far away from us, only looked at the computer the majority of the time, and it just wasn’t personal. However, because a lot of the mHealth technology does a lot of good, Dr. West over at the Happy EMR Doctor has some suggestions. He has created a list of 7 tips to help improve EHR etiquette, and this is definitely something all healthcare providers should follow. Just because there’s technology, doesn’t mean the importance of patient engagement should disappear as well.

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March 10, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  Healthcare  Healthcare Devices  HealthCare IT
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EHR and Mobile Health News Around the Country

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It may come as a surprise to some, but according to a study by eClinicalWorks, the majority of physicians like EMR-connected apps, and mHealth apps in general. 2,291 healthcare professionals were surveyed, and 649 were physicians. Over 90 percent of physicians feel it’s valuable to have their EMR connected to an app. The study also revealed other interesting things concerning physicians and medical apps.

And EHR vendors may want to consider this when developing and updating their EHR. From the Black Book Rankings, here is a list of top EHR vendors among hospitals. I bet some of these ones definitely have.

On a similar topic, there was a recent study about physican EMR use in the United States. Apparently, they are behind other countries. While usage has definitely increased recently, with 69 percent of doctors using some type of EMR in 2012, it’s still well-below the rates in the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, the U.K, Australia, and Sweden, all that have EMR usage rates above 88 percent.

For anyone that is interested, there is quite a bit of legislation on telemedicine this year across the United States. This chart shows all that’s going on in three different categories — legislated mandate for private coverage, legislated medicaid coverage (primarily interactive video,) and other proposed bills affecting medicaid coverage.

There’s always a lot going on in the mHealth world. Have you heard of FilmArray? It’s a device that was developed by a company in Utah. So what does it do? Well, it can detect 20 respiratory diseases in less than an hour. This will definitely make it easier for people to get their illnesses diagnosed quickly. In other news, HealthTap has released a new program called TipTaps. The program sends tips, created by health professionals, and personalized for a person’s lifestyle.

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February 24, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Selection  EMR Technology  Health IT Startups  HealthCare IT  Hospital EHR  Hospitals  mHealth
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EMR Companies, Leveling the Playing Field, and The Eatery: Around Healthcare Scene

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EMR and EHR

What Really Differentiates EHR Companies?

EHR companies are a dime-a-dozen. So what makes them different? While price is sometimes a big deal to some, it isn’t an indicator of success. Marketing and sales can make a difference as well to some. However, there are a few things that should differentiate EHR companies. This includes the importance of efficiency.

Android’s Advantage Over iPhone in Mobile Health Applications

While many in the healthcare world love the iPhone, Android devices may present more options to healthcare professionals. Android offers more customization than the iPhone, and has more flexibility. It may cause developers more headaches, as the iPhone only requires them to only code their application once to work with most iOS devices. But the benefits are countless.

Hospital EMR and EHR

Level the Playing Field with RACs as They Enter Practice Settings

This article is by Lori Brocato, Director of Audit at HealthPort. She lists four ways that hospitals can do to level the playing field with RACs. These reasons are: knowledge is power, it’s a team effort, connect the dots, and learn from mistakes.

How EMR Vendors and Providers Can Partner Effectively

The LinkedIn HIMSS group posed the question — what does a good partnership between an EMR vendor and a provider look like? This post includes a few of Anne Zieger’s thoughts on this question.

Smart Phone Healthcare

The Eatery: A Visual Food Diary

The Eatery puts a twist on the typical food diary — instead of recording food, you take a picture. The user then can rate their food, and others can too.

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February 10, 2013 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  EHR Benefits  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Consulting  EMR Selection  mHealth
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Healthcare.gov, EMR Switch, and Flu and RSV Detector: Around Healthcare Scene

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It was a quiet week around Healthcare Scene, but here are a few of the posts that did get posted. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and this new year will be the best yet!

EMR and EHR

11 Reasons Why Healthcare is So Screwed Up

This list was initially created by GetReferralMD and reposted on EMR and EHR. This post doesn’t go into details about each of the reason, but it provides some interesting food for thought. Some of the reasons on the list include insurance companies, ignorance, and McDonalds. With the upcoming new year, it’s the perfect time for resolutions to be made, and some of these issues to be addressed.

Healthcare.gov

This government-run website has recently been revamped, and now offers a lot more features. It has an obvious mission — to convince everyone to back-up Obamacare, but it has neat options now like an insurance options wizard and tools to help people understand using insurance. It still leaves some things to be desired, but it’s a nice site that doesn’t have the looks of a typical government site.

Hospital EMR and EHR

2013: The Year of the EMR Switch

This coming year appears to be the one where more hospitals will be switching to EMR. This will, obviously, have a huge affect on the EMR sales process. It will include tons of EMR marketing, alternatives may have more of a chance, and market winners and losers will be named.

New Hospital Rockets To Top Of HIMSS EMR Adoption Scale

While many smaller hospitals have been behind the curve when it comes to Meaningful Use and HIMSS standards, one 50-bed Texas hospital challenges that sterotype. Texas Alliance Health has achieve stage-7 of the HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model — something that only 1.9 percent of U.S. hospitals has achieved. This is quite the feat for any hospital, especially a small one like Texas Alliance. It had many factors working in its favor, particularly that it has only been open since September.

Smart Phone Healthcare

UK Company Developing a Biosensor Device to Detect Flu and RSV

Early detection of the flu and RSV can help prevent these illnesses from getting worse. However, early detection is hard to come by, and when the first stages have passed, many treatments are not affective. OJ-Bio, a UK-based company, seeks to change that. A new sensor is in the works that accurately can detect these illnesses, as well as other respiratory illnesses, quickly, early-on, and at home.

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December 30, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Implementation  EMR Selection  Health IT Startups  Healthcare  Healthcare Devices  HealthCare IT  Healthcare Social Media  Meaningful Use  mHealth
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Wireless Healthcare IT, Risk Analysis, and Ever-changing Technology: Around Healthcare Scene

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EMR and EHR

Why 2013 Will Be A Good Year For EMRS

EMRs don’t always have the best reputation, particularly concerning their ease for implementation. However, there are some things that are looking up in 2013 for the industry. Ann Zieger discusses these, and includes ideas such as vendors being able to offer mobile options, as well as consolidation leading to a more stable vendor market.

Wireless Healthcare IT Could Hold the Key to Preventable Readmissions

CardioMEMS developed a heart-failure monitoring system, the first of its kind. The company understands the need from back-end data and has a lot of potential for the future. Technology like this may be the key to preventing hospital  readmissions.

Hospital EMR

Hospitals Stepping Up Security Risk Analysis, While Practices Lag

EMRs pose a large risk for criminal hackers to come in. However, according to a HIMSS survey, around 90 percent of hospitals are now conducting annual risk analysis. Unfortunately, practices only came in at about 65 percent. An even more surprising fact was that 22 percent of survey responders reported having a security breach next year. While there have been a lot of strides made toward stepping up security risk analysis, there is still a ways to go.

Meaningful Health IT News

Technology Changes Faster Than You Think

In 2005, smart phones weren’t mainstream in the health industry. This post also includes other interesting facts about mHealth only seven years ago, and it goes to show just how fast technology is changing. It raises the question, where will we be seven years from now? An interesting infographic from 2005 is also shown in this post as well.

Smart Phone Healthcare

The Patient’s Guide Reveals How iPhone Dominates Mobile Health Research

A recent study done by the Patient’s Guide researched the use of medical devices. During this study, they discovered how the iPhone is by far the most popular device being used. This post includes an infographic from The Patient’s Guide that displays other findings from the study.

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December 16, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  EHR Benefits  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Analyst  EMR Implementation  EMR Technology  Healthcare  Healthcare Devices  HealthCare IT  Hospitals  Meaningful Use  Medical Privacy  PHR
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Health IT Hazards, Selecting the Right EHR, and Withings Wireless Scale – Around Healthcare Scene

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Hospital EMR and EHR

Health IT Stands Out In Health Technology Hazards List

The Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list was recently released by ECRI. And this year, two of the hazards that made the list are health IT related – patient/data mismatches in EHRs and other HIT systems, and, interoperability failures with medical devices and health IT systems. Anne Zeiger predicts that more HIT issues will top this list in the future.

Patients Accessing Online Medical Records Use More Services

A new study revealed something interesting — patients who use online access to medical records are likely to use more clinical services than those who do not. The Journal of the American Medical Association drew this conclusion after studying members of Kaiser. Kaiser has had a patient portal in place since 2006, which made it an ideal candidate for this study.

EMR and EHR

10 Tips for Selecting the Right EHR

In the market for a new EHR? Or perhaps just implementing one? This post highlights 10 tips on selecting the right EHR for your practice, as presented by Insight Data Group. Some of the suggestions include making sure the EHR is easy to use and customized, and use the government’s money to pay for your EHR.

Meaningful Healthcare IT News

Social and Mobile Continue to Converge in Healthcare

An interesting infographic is shown and discussed in this post. It is called “How Health Consumers Engage Online,” and reveals some interesting facts about the digital and health world. According to it, more people in the United States own a smart phone than a tooth brush, and 23 percent of people use social media to follow the health experiences of a friend. This definitely presents some fascinating data that is worth reading.

Smart Phone Health Care

New Withings Wireless Internet Scale Hits the Market

A new scale was recently released, and it does more than just tell a person how much they weigh. It tracks numerous variables, including BMI, and can be synced to various mHealth apps. There is also an app that goes along with the scale as well. It is a bit pricey at over $100, but it definitely “tips the scales” when it comes to scales.

Smart Phone Enabled Thermometer Approved By FDA

The “Raiing” is the newest in smart phone technology. It’s a high-tech, yet easy-to-use, thermometer, designed for iOS devices. It is placed under the armpit, and can actually track a person’s temperature over time. If a temperature reaches a certain number, an alarm will go off on the connected smart phone. This can help give parent’s peace of mind, as a sick child sleeps.

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December 2, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: EHR  Electronic Health Record  Electronic Medical Record  EMR  EMR Analyst  EMR Consulting  EMR Implementation  EMR Selection  Healthcare  Healthcare Devices  HealthCare IT  Healthcare Social Media  HITECH  Meaningful Use  mHealth  Patient Portal  Personal Musings
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